Hello
by Beth-TauriChick
Summary: A post-Full Circle SamDaniel fic. Sam gets a late night visitor...please read and review!


Title: Hello

Author: BethV (Taurichick77)

Rating: T

Spoilers are all the way through Full Circle, there are a lot of specific references to episodes, there's kind of a Sam-Daniel shippy memory lane thing going on in the beginning. Feedback is welcomed with open arms : )

This fic is forIona, who always does such a great job! Any mistakes remaining are mine and mine alone.

A/N: OK, I couldn't get this song out of my head and I think it's perfect for a Sam and Daniel descension/reunion story, and since severe writer's block has hit me for "Seeing the Light" right now, here it is. The song is called "Hello" by Sugarbomb, off the Orange County movie soundtrack; go listen to it since I can't post the lyrics here. As for Stargate, it belongs to lots of other people who are lucky enough to see Michael Shanks every day. But I'm not envious. Really.

Sam lay awake in her bed, sleep eluding her as she mulled over recent events. Abydos was gone, destroyed by Anubis, and Daniel, well, no one knew what happened to him. She still couldn't believe that Daniel, in his ascended state, had appeared to Teal'c and Jack before, and no one had told her about it. Teal'c was there with her when Jack had gone missing that time with Maybourne. He saw her reaction, her tears, the hurt, still fresh from the loss of Daniel. Surely he would have told her when Daniel appeared to him? But he didn't. Sam was forced to admit, however, that her hurt over Teal'c's and Jack's silence was nothing compared with the hurt she felt when she found out that Daniel had visited everyone but her.

She thought back to when she first saw Daniel, on Abydos. She was instantly drawn to him, "I knew I'd like you," she said. And he called her "Captain Doctor." Sam also remembered the kiss that she'd witnessed between Daniel and Sha're. She'd known him for only minutes, yet found herself envious of the dark-haired woman in his embrace. After Sha're's capture by the Gou'ald, Sam felt immense guilt at ever having such a thought. She and the rest of SG-1 did everything they could to get Sha're back to Daniel. In doing so, they all became close, but she and Daniel always seemed to have a special bond.

Sam remembered the first time she thought Daniel had been killed, when he had actually been taken prisoner. It really wasn't funny, but she had to laugh at that, the first time. How many times had she, Jack, and Teal'c believed Daniel was gone, only to find out that he was alive? That man had more lives than a cat. Sam could count them, but she mostly just remembered the sadness and grief she felt, and how it seemed to get worse each time. Of course, that was probably because she and Daniel had continued to become closer after each of his "near-death" experiences.

She and Daniel were always there for each other. When they found Cassandra, and Sam's mothering instincts had kicked in, it was Daniel who told her she didn't have to go through it alone. It was Sam who found a way to get Daniel back into his body after the Ma'chello incident. She laughed softly as she thought of Daniel's words, "It's nice to know you don't just like me for my looks." His looks certainly didn't hurt, though. He was pretty hot, for a geek. Sam actually giggled then; Daniel was pretty hot period, geek or not. He had certainly worked his way into her heart, becoming her best friend, the one who could finish her sentences and who was always there with a cup of coffee when she needed it most.

Sam didn't quite know when he had become more to her than just her best friend. After Sha're's death, she was there to comfort him as best she could. The devastation she felt when she thought he was leaving the team was immeasurable, equaled only by the joy she felt when he came back to the SGC. She couldn't tell him about her feelings then, his emotions were still too raw from the loss of Sha're. So instead they continued as best friends. Somehow the time was never right for Sam to admit her feelings to Daniel. Then, before she knew it, it was too late. He had gone and went all heroic on her, sacrificing his life to save the lives of people he barely knew. It only made her love him more, and yet she couldn't help but be angry with him because he hadn't thought about how his sacrifice would affect those around him. He lay there, wrapped in bandages, and she had to at least attempt to tell him how she felt. "I don't know why we wait to tell people how we really feel. I guess I hoped that you always knew," she'd said. Even then she couldn't find the words to tell him how much she loved him, and not in the best friend sort of way. She always wondered if he knew. Now, having found out about his visits to Teal'c and Jack, she thought she had her answer. If he really knew, wouldn't he have appeared to her? At least to let her know that he was alright.

There was another possibility, one she didn't want to consider but which popped into her mind nonetheless. What if Daniel did know, but didn't feel the same way? That would explain why he avoided her. Her recent interactions with him on Abydos seemed to support that theory. Her face lit up when he appeared, and she cried his name, "Daniel!" Her heart fell as he turned, said "Sam," nodded, and turned away. Admittedly, he was trying to save his adopted homeworld, but Sam couldn't help but feel slighted. In the end, none of it mattered, because Daniel was missing and Abydos was in ruins. At least the Abydonian people had all ascended.

Sam sighed, and rolled over, wishing that her brain would slow down for once so she might have a chance at sleep. She was on the threshold of drifting off when she heard her doorbell. Sam didn't get a lot of visitors; she couldn't imagine who would be at the door at this hour. It was nearing 2 a.m. She threw a robe on over her nightgown and headed for the door, planning on giving whomever was on the other side a stern lecture if they didn't have a darn good reason for being there. Her lecture was quickly forgotten when she opened the door.

"Daniel! Oh my god, are you alright? Where have you been? We were all so worried about you! I just knew something horrible happened to you after Anubis destroyed Abydos, what happened to you? How did you get here?" Sam paused for a much-needed breath.

"Hello, Sam, it's good to see you, too." Daniel smiled, finally managing to get a word in edgewise. "I'll tell you all about it, but can I come in?"

"Of course you can, I'm sorry, I think I'm in shock. You'd think I'd be used to your repeated returns from the grave by now." She closed the door behind him and they both sat down on her couch. "It's just that, well, I was just thinking about us, um, you." Sam didn't catch her slip in time to correct it. She hoped Daniel hadn't noticed. He did seem a little distracted.

"You were thinking about us?"

No such luck. Sam attempted a recovery, "Us, you know, SG-1, I was remembering all the times we thought you were dead and how happy I, um, we all were when you turned out to be alright." At this point she was making a mental note to never have a conversation with Daniel at 2 a.m. again. Her heart seemed to be beating her brain to the punch each time she opened her mouth.

Daniel was starting to get concerned. He couldn't recall a time he'd seen Sam so rattled without a good reason. "Sam, are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine, what about you? We all thought you were dead, um, deader, or whatever it is that happens to someone who's ascended."

"Right, well, that's why I'm here. This is the punishment from the Others for my trying to intervene."

"Showing up at my house at 2 a.m. is your punishment?"

Daniel grinned. Sam must be OK if she could crack a joke. "No, my punishment was to be returned to human form. I'm the same old me, but if something ever happens to me again, I won't be able to ascend."

"Oh. Well, we'll just have to make sure nothing happens to you. So, I assume you've already seen the Colonel and Teal'c?"

"No, I came to see you first. We didn't exactly get a lot of time to catch up the last time I saw you. I missed you, Sam."

Sam was elated. He missed her? He missed her! Maybe she had been wrong. "I missed you, too, Daniel. You're my best friend. Jonas is a nice guy, but he could never replace you."

"Can I have a hug? I haven't gotten much physical contact lately, what with being ascended and all." Daniel was being a little blatant about it, but he was surprised that Sam hadn't hugged him when she first opened the door.

She practically leaped into Daniel's arms, holding him tight and allowing herself to be convinced that he was really there. "Of course you can have a hug. I didn't, well, I wasn't sure you were, you know, here."

"Here as in you thought I was non-corporeal, or here as in you though I was a figment of your imagination?" Daniel asked, still holding Sam. He was reluctant to let go; holding her just felt so good.

"Well, both, I guess." Sam wondered why he hadn't ended the hug yet. She wasn't about to let go, but she thought he would've by now. She decided to push things a little farther, and ask him the question that wouldn't leave her mind since she found out about his appearances. "Daniel, I need to ask you something. Why did you visit the Colonel and Teal'c, but not me? I thought I was your best friend. I spent all that time thinking of you, and grieving for you, only to find out that you visited everyone but me."

Daniel pulled away from the hug so he could look Sam in the eyes. "Because I don't think I would have been able to go back."

"What?" Sam tried to let his words sink in.

"Believe me, Sam, I thought about you all the time. What you said to me when I was dying, I can still hear those words. The Others, they have rules. I couldn't just appear somewhere and stay there. I was worried that if I saw you, if we talked, I wouldn't be able to leave you again. I love you too much." He reached out, and wiped away the tear slipping down Sam's cheek.

Sam leaned into his touch. She was vaguely aware of the thought that maybe she should pinch herself. Not half an hour ago, she was in her bed dreaming of this man, and of being with him, and now it was really happening. "Daniel, I love you, more than a best friend. I don't know why I never told you before. I guess I was just scared that you wouldn't feel the same way."

"See, we're so much alike we even had the same excuse for not telling the other how we really felt." Sam smiled at Daniel's words. He pulled her closer, and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly at first but gradually getting more intense.

Sam, much to her reluctance, finally had to break the kiss and come up for air. "Wow, Daniel, I really should have told you sooner. I've been missing a lot!"

"We'll just have to make up for lost time, then," Daniel said, and pulled her in for another kiss.

It occurred to Sam that at some point she would have to share Daniel with the rest of the world again, but for the moment she was content. Here they were, making out like teenagers on her couch, and she couldn't remember a time she had been so happy. Unfortunately, it was at just that moment that her doorbell rang for the second time that night. She pulled away from Daniel. "I have no idea who that could be. It's 3 a.m.! Since when did my house become Grand Central Station?" She was aggravated, not just because someone was at the door, but because answering the door meant that she had to stop kissing Daniel. She got off the couch and moved to answer the door.

"Um, Sam?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"You might want to put your robe on before you answer the door. I certainly don't mind the view, but I don't plan on sharing it with anyone."

She laughed. Her nightgown really didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. Sam scooped up the robe from where it had fallen on the floor and slid it on as she made her way to the door. She opened it just enough to see who was on the other side.

"Sir! What are you doing here?"

"Well hello to you, too, Carter. Did I just hear you talking to someone?" Jack O'Neill noted Sam's rather disheveled appearance, almost like she'd been making out with someone. Nah, he thought, that was silly, this was Carter.

Sam turned around and looked at Daniel. He nodded, indicating it was OK to tell Jack about him, so she opened the door wider and motioned for Jack to come in.

"Daniel!"

"Hey, Jack, how are you, how's things?"

"What, no 'I need you to save a planet' this time?"

"Funny. No, I'm back, I've been descended as punishment for my intervention."

"So what are you doing in Carter's house at 3 a.m.?"

"I could ask you the same thing. This was the first place I thought of to come. I don't have any ID, so I couldn't have gotten on the base. I didn't really get to talk to Sam the last time I saw her, and I knew she'd be able to help me. What about you?"

"I'm here on official business. The general ordered SG-1 to take some down time, and I was coming to let Carter know about it."

"Um, sir, couldn't you have just called me in the morning?"

"Well, that's what I was planning on doing, but then I was driving by and noticed that your light was on, so I thought I'd stop in and tell you in person. You're ordered to take the next week off."

"What about Daniel?"

"He wants time off, too? He just got back."

"Very funny, sir. I need to get him on base, get Janet to check him out and make sure he's alright. Plus, I'm sure General Hammond will be as interested as I am in what he learned while he was ascended."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Sam, but the Others removed any information that could have been used to advance mankind before it was ready. I remember some things, like being on Abydos and trying to stop Anubis, but the Others made sure that I can't remember anything that would be of any real benefit."

"We should still get you to the infirmary and make sure you're OK."

"Can't it wait?" Obviously the Others hadn't removed Daniel's aversion to the infirmary.

Sam found that she couldn't remain strong under the puppy dog look Daniel was giving her, plus it meant she would have him to herself for a while longer. "Oh, alright, but we're going just as soon as my leave is over."

"Well, I guess I'll leave you two kids alone now. It's past my bedtime." Jack was feeling a little awkward. The looks Sam and Daniel were giving each other were starting to make him uncomfortable. He figured he probably didn't want to know what they had been up to before he got there, and he was going home before he found out. There'd be plenty of time for all that later. He supposed it wasn't technically fraternization, since Daniel wasn't military. And heck, the guy had been kind of dead for a while. He supposed he deserved some happiness.

Sam and Daniel walked Jack to the door. "Night, Jack" and "Night, sir" were spoken in unison as he said his goodbyes. Once he was gone, Sam closed the door and leaned back against it. "Now, where were we?"

Daniel came over to stand in front of her. "Hello, Sam," he said with a wink.

"Hello, Daniel," she laughed, before proceeding to give him the welcome that she wanted to give him ever since he came though her door.


End file.
